Laura Suter is AJ Bell's Director of Personal Finance. She joined the company in 2018 and is the go-to spokesperson on all things personal finance - from cash savings rates to saving for children and how to invest for the first time. Laura has a degree in Journalism Studies from the University of Sheffield.
Since joining the company, Laura has co-founded AJ Bell’s Money Matters campaign, which aims to help more women start their investing journey and close the gender investment gap. She writes articles for the campaign and co-hosts the Money Matters podcast.
Laura also co-hosts AJ Bell's weekly Money & Markets podcast, giving an update on all the investing and personal finance news of the week. She's regularly quoted in the national and trade press, as well as appearing on TV and radio. She speaks and presents at live events, ranging from AJ Bell roadshows to the company’s flagship investment conference, Investival, and Money Matters events.
Laura is a multi-award winning former financial journalist, having worked in this role for 10 years before joining AJ Bell. She was previously at the Daily Telegraph as an Investment Editor. During her time at the Telegraph, she was crowned the Headlinemoney Investment Journalist of the Year. She also worked for financial adviser publications Money Marketing and Money Management, as well as an investment publication in New York focusing on the hedge fund and private equity world.
17 June 2020
Inflation falls as lockdown bitesConsumption practically ground to a halt in May, with large swathes of the country shut down due to the Covid-19 lockdown. Another drop in inflation was an inevitable consequence and the fall to 0.5% takes CPI inflation to its lowest level for four years and is a stark contrast to the 2% inflation we were seeing this time last year.
A further fall...
20 May 2020
Dividend cuts by UK companies this year exceed £30 billionDividend cuts and deferrals have now topped £30bn leaving income investors with a large hole in their portfolios. While some investors might be hoping the end is in sight for these cuts, they could actually increase now the Government has bought in stricter measures banning firms using its loan scheme from paying out dividends to investors.
Half...
20 May 2020
Inflation plummets as impacts of lockdown kick inApril saw a dramatic fall in inflation, down to 0.8% from the 1.5% in March. This marks the lowest rate for CPI inflation since August 2016.
Oil prices have dragged inflation lower again, as the price of the black stuff plummeted and petrol forecourts stood empty during lockdown. The drop in oil saw petrol prices fall to a four-year low, with...
19 May 2020
Three steps to prepare your portfolio for market fallsA survey of AJ Bell Youinvest customers has shown that, despite a rebound in markets since March, investors still have a very gloomy outlook for the UK economy and think the worst is yet to come for stock markets. When asked if the worst of the current downturn is over, 51% of people think that there is more bad news to come and that markets will...
12 May 2020
50 days of lockdown – how have investors fared?We’re now 50 days into lockdown in the UK, and although for many of us it will feel like day 500, there has been some more positive news for investors during that time. Following the bloodbath during the early part of March, markets have recovered some of the ground they lost, the vast majority of funds have delivered positive returns for investors...
7 May 2020
Bank of England paints a gloomy picture of UK economy as it holds interest rates at 0.1%“The bank paints a very gloomy picture of the UK economy, with a halving in business investment, a near halving in business sales, a sharp rise in unemployment and households cutting their spending by a third", says Laura Suter, Personal Finance Analyst at AJ Bell.
“The outlook for GDP is also bleak in the short term, with a 30% fall in the second...
30 April 2020
Six steps to recession-proof your investmentsWith all signs pointing to the fact that the UK is heading towards a recession and the Bank of England warning that it will be the worst economic shock for hundreds of years, now is a good time to revisit your investments. Markets have been on a rollercoaster ride over the past two months, so many investors are thinking about spring cleaning their...
22 April 2020
Oil price crash drags inflation down to 1.5%Even before the recent capitulation, the price of oil was on the slide in March and this dragged inflation down slightly from February’s 1.7% to 1.5%. Oil prices have a massive impact on the UK’s inflation rate and with prices at the pump and home energy costs getting cheaper we’d expect this trend to continue for the next couple of months.
What...
16 April 2020
Which capital preservation funds delivered in the market falls?In very rocky markets capital preservation funds will aim to reduce investors’ losses and while they don’t guarantee to keep your money growing, you’d expect them to lose less than the market. During the recent market turmoil most funds and trusts have managed to achieve this goal, although there’s a wide spread in returns. Investors who fear...
16 April 2020
Stockpiling and streaming soar, but consumer spending plummets in MarchAccording to the latest consumer spending figures from Barclaycard, in March Brits spent the month stockpiling toilet roll and pasta, and sitting on their sofa watching TV. Consumer spending fell by 6% in the month, but the figures paint a picture of two halves, with soaring spending at supermarkets as people stocked up on food ahead of and during...
